News - Published 28.1.2020

Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä will lead a Team Finland visit to France on 29–31 January 2020. The purpose of the visit is to intensify cooperation between Finnish and French companies engaged in the circular economy and in the battery industry, to promote the internationalisation of Finnish companies and to accelerate the global transition to a carbon-neutral economy.

It is the Government’s objective to make Finland carbon neutral by 2035. This means that the amount of carbon dioxide emissions does not exceed the amount captured from the atmosphere.

“Finland and France have a shared understanding of how to promote European economic growth while pursuing ambitious climate objectives. The objective of this visit is to intensify cooperation between companies engaged in the circular economy and in the battery industry, and to support the growth and export of Finnish companies. This way we can drive new innovation that will boost employment and mitigate climate change,” says Minister Lintilä.

The circular economy and the battery industry offer international business opportunities

In terms of the circular economy, the focus of the visit will be on packaging materials, alternatives for plastics, and bio-based products. The circular economy changes the manufacturing processes of products and the business models of companies. A thorough understanding of digital sharing platforms and logistics solutions is crucial, and international business competence and networks are becoming increasingly important.

The growing popularity of electric cars creates significant global business opportunities for the battery industry. At the moment, 85% of the batteries sold worldwide are made in Asia, compared to just three per cent in the EU. Finnish soil contains a significant amount of battery minerals, and Finland wants to contribute to building the European battery industry.

Team Finland visit highlights Finnish expertise

On Thursday, 30 January, Minister Lintilä will host two seminars on the circular economy and the battery industry. The purpose of the events is to bring together Finnish and French industry players and to highlight Finnish expertise. On Friday, 31 January, Minister Lintilä will speak at the ChangeNOW sustainable development event, which will bring together companies and influencers from more than a hundred countries. Finnish companies will showcase their circular economy solutions at the event.

During his visit, Minister Lintilä will have business meetings with representatives from Renault, Stora Enso and Nokia. He will also attend the 110th anniversary of Kone Corporation.

The following companies and organisations will be represented in the delegation: Aalto University, Akkurate Oy, BASF Oy, Boliden Kokkola, Celltech Group, CirEco Finland Oy, Cursor Oy, DeLight Packaging Oy, Epec Oy, Finnish Minerals Group, Fortum Power and Heat Ltd, Fortum Waste Solutions Ltd, Geyser Batteries Oy, Iscent Oy, Kiilto Oy, Kokkola Industrial Park, Lumoin Oy, Metsä Group, Neste Corporation, Outotec Oy, Salo Iot Campus, StepOne Tech, Stora Enso, Turku Science Park Oy, Vaasa Region Development Company, Valmet Automotive Oy, Valtra Oy Ab and Yrityssalo Ab.

Before visiting France, the battery industry companies will accompany officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to Belgium, and the circular economy companies to the Netherlands.

Team Finland is a network of public sector actors providing internationalisation services to Finnish companies. The network provides companies with an unbroken chain of services from advice to financing, and organises international export promotion visits.

Inquiries:

Jenny Hasu, Special Adviser to Minister Lintilä, tel. +358 29 504 7213
Nina Alatalo, Special Adviser (International Affairs) to Minister Lintilä, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 7171
Kati Shibutani, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 9047

Team Finland